Heartbreak Healed
by brookiecookie4
Summary: When Hermione is left heartbroken after Ron leaves her, she seeks a fling to help her heal, but what she finds at Harry's and Ginny's wedding is something nobody expected.
1. Chapter 1: The Wedding

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I really hope you like this, even though it's not canonical. Please leave comments! I'll try to update by Tuesday at midnight every week if you guys like it!**

 **Chapter 1: The Wedding**

Hermione was in her soft pink dress, almost ready to go. She wore silver strappy sandals with a kitten heel and silver jewelry to match. Her heart pendant matched her dress perfectly. Her hair was styled in a way similar to how she wore it for the Yule Ball in her Fourth Year at Hogwarts. She smiled as she fondly reminisced of the time she danced with Viktor Krum, and then frowned when she remembered Ron's jealousy. _"I should have known,"_ she thought to herself. She turned to her mirror and observed her reflection. "You're better off without him," she told herself sternly.

She then noticed that her makeup was unfinished. She just needed lipstick, now. Still thinking about her recent breakup with Ron, she carefully selected a shimmery lip stain and applied it. "See, Hermione, you don't need a stupid boy. Get over it," she voiced in frustration at her lingering feeling of sorrow.

Glancing at her alarm clock, she realized that the wedding would be starting soon. She picked up her clutch, threw everything she might need into it, and Disapparated.

She arrived in Ginny's bedroom to see the poor girl struggling with her necklace. Dropping her clutch, Hermione was at Ginny's rescue. "This necklace is so beautiful," Hermione said.

"Oh, thank you. Fleur is letting me borrow it. It was an anniversary present from Bill, but it goes so perfectly with my dress," Ginny smiled fondly down at the necklace, now lying serenely across her upper chest.

"Ginny, you are so gorgeous. Harry doesn't even realize how lucky he is, does he?" Luna piped up.

"Of course he does. He loves Ginny more than anything," Hermione replied.

Ginny suddenly looked concerned. "How are you managing, Hermione? Is this wedding happening too soon after the breakup?" She briefly turned and selected her earrings, and began putting them in while waiting for Hermione's response.

"No," Hermione shook it off, "Ron made his choice, and I can either cry about it, or get over it. You made sure Harry invited his cute Auror friend?"

Ginny laughed, "Duh!"

Luna just seemed puzzled at this. "What does he have to do with anything?" she asked over the top of the latest edition of _The Quibbler._

"Rebound sex!" Ginny and Hermione chorused. Ginny slipped her shoes on while Hermione became fixated on a loose thread of her dress. She quickly cast a charm to remove it safely, and then returned her attention on the two girls.

"Are you ready to walk down the aisle?" Ginny eagerly asked Hermione and Luna.

Hermione and Luna both looked somewhat apprehensive at this, but still agreed. They followed Ginny out of the room and to the wedding. Hermione, of course, had mentally rehearsed the procedure dozens of times and was overly prepared, but still nervous, so she rehearsed once again. All she had to do was follow the flower girl, four steps behind her. She needed to take short steps and walk slowly, to the music. When she reached the altar, she needed to turn to her left and walk to her x on the ground, and then turn to face the audience. It wasn't complicated at all, but she was still worried.

Ginny accepted her bouquet, the music started, and the flower girl started walking patiently down the aisle, tossing flower petals behind her. Hermione counted her steps carefully, and when she reached the fourth, Hermione began walking next to Luna.

As she knew Ginny began following her, Hermione saw in Harry's eyes one of the happiest looks she had ever seen him wear. She knew instantly that this would replace any previous memory he had used when conjuring his patronus. His eyes only followed Ginny, the whole way down the aisle. When they reached the altar and Hermione turned to face the audience, she caught a glimpse of Ginny and saw the same look on her face.

 _"_ _I remember when I imagined experiencing this day with Ron. It would be smaller than this wedding, but still perfect and romantic. And now, he won't even look at me when we're in the same room. I still wonder what I did wrong."_ Hermione shook herself. She shouldn't be thinking of this when two of her best friends were getting married. Blinking back tears, she refocused on the ceremony.

As Harry and Ginny shared their first dance as husband and wife, Hermione found the "cute Auror friend" she had asked Ginny about.

When she spotted him, she made her way to him casually. "Hey, I'm Hermione," she introduced herself as though she met extremely handsome men all the time.

"Casey," he replied, Irish accent lilting even in only two syllables. His dark eyes carefully searched the area continuously, like most Aurors. Hermione noticed this and then noticed how beautiful his eyes were. And his cheekbones were pronounced, creating a very angular face. Hermione's eyes trailed down his body, noticing how his abs fades into—

Wait, she hasn't responded yet. Casey was just watching Hermione admiring his body. She blushed, a rarity for her, and stuttered out, "beautiful wedding, right?"

"Yeah, definitely," he chuckled, looking down Hermione's body too. She blushed again, realizing how well the dress fits on her curves. Wherever his eyes touched, she felt a burn. "Should I go get us some firewhiskey?"

"Yes, please," Hermione let out a girlish giggle, completely out of character for her. Casey walked away, and as Hermione watched his hips, someone else ran into her.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention—" the person who bumped into her began, until realizing he had run into Hermione. When Hermione saw who it was, she was extremely confused.

"What are you doing here? Who invited you? Why would you think it was okay to show up here?" Hermione's confusion quickly turned to anger.

"Harry wanted to work on bridging the gap between us. He invited me. Even before Voldemort's downfall, I wanted to join you, but my family was so devoted to Voldemort that I couldn't escape. And then Dumbledore died, and I had no hope of safety from them. I had to continue to pretend I was on his side until that final battle."

Hermione's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't realize."

"I'm used to it," Draco replied. "I just have to work to change everyone's minds. It'll be hard, but it's worth it." As he said this last statement, his eyes lowered and then turned back up to Hermione sheepishly. At this, she noticed for the first time how beautiful his blue eyes have become now that the coldness has left them.

"Is there any way I can help?" she began trying to make up for her earlier animosity. And to be completely honest, her intentions weren't entirely good. Spending more time with Draco suddenly seemed like a great idea.

"Actually, do you want to get out of here?" Draco asked.

"Um, sure," Hermione smiled. She grabbed Draco's hand, and together, they Disapparated, Hermione forgetting entirely about Casey, who was on his way back to her with the drinks.


	2. Chapter 2: Reintroduction

**Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for all of your support! I just wanted to let all of you know that I am a college student, so I will be trying to update more than once a week, but I might get too busy near the end of each semester. Last week I was working on a 10 page paper, so I missed one. But I am trying to at least keep up with one a week. I promise, just stick with me. Over the next month or so I should be posting more. Without further ado, please enjoy the next chapter.**

Chapter 2: Reintroduction

When Hermione and Draco arrived in Draco's apartment, Hermione looked around in amazement. His flat was absolutely breathtaking, decorated with deep mahogany and pale oranges. It held an air of sophistication, while still projecting a mood of spontaneity and playfulness. Hermione let her hand trail over the back of a washed-out orange sofa while Draco observed her reaction carefully. He had noticed her abrupt change in attitude back at the wedding, but was still concerned that she might remember all of the terrible things he had done to her throughout their years at Hogwarts. Hermione became preoccupied with a painting on the wall, completely oblivious to Draco's attention.

"My mother had that painting commissioned after my father ran off following Voldemort's downfall. Mother wanted those of us who were brave enough to stay to reunite as a family and show our support for the dead and injured from the battle," Draco chuckled sarcastically. "Even after our whole lives fall apart, we have to project the proper image. Just like my mother." He turned away from Hermione and looked out the window. "And she yells at me if I cover the portrait or take it off the wall. Otherwise, it'd be hidden in a closet somewhere."

"What has your family been like since that final battle?"

Draco stiffened, but tried to hide his discomfort from Hermione. He was doing his best to distance himself from what he had been and who his family was, just like Sirius Black used to. Draco was ashamed of his past, and hated reliving it, but he knew that to gain Hermione's trust, he needed to talk about it. "Not much better than they were before. They try to be 'good' just for the image, not for the results or the actual benefits. Everyone is still so wrapped up in appearances and don't realize that they would look better if they would just be honest and genuinely nice."

Hermione had still been skeptical about Draco's sudden change until he talked about his family. He seemed so… lost. He had relied on his family so much throughout his whole life, but now that he needed them most, he didn't have them. They were too stuck in their traditional ways of thought, and no matter how hard Draco tried, he couldn't help them. When the remnants of his family should have bonded and become closer than ever, they only continued to be distant and cold with each other.

"Draco, I trust you. You really seem like you've changed," Hermione tentatively approached Draco and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He shivered involuntarily and reached out, as if asking for a hug. She accepted him and placed her head gingerly on his shoulder, surprised by how warm he was after so many years of seeing him as cold and evil.

He let his own head rest on hers, the only girl who accepted him after everything he did. His eyes began welling up with tears, and despite blinking furiously to prevent them rolling down his face, they did. Hermione felt the wetness on his face and looked up at him compassionately. As he gazed back at her, he felt a twinge in his chest. He was unsure of whether he could ever make up for what he did, but when she forgave him, he only felt guilty and ashamed of himself. Hermione seemed entirely unaware of this tirade of emotion, thinking that he was crying because of his past.

She reached up and wiped away his tears, hoping that he will be able to move on like it seems he is. Draco pulled Hermione tighter and whispered, "thank you," in her ear, doing all he could to stop his crying before she asked what was wrong. He reached under her face and tilted her chin up so she would look him in the eyes, and then forgot what he wanted to say to her. He knew that he wanted to say something serious and had to be facing her to say it, but… it didn't even matter anymore. All he cared about was her beautiful round eyes.

She found herself held captive in his gaze and didn't want to look away. Hermione felt peaceful holding Draco's gaze, but couldn't maintain it without pushing it further. She didn't want to be rejected, and she definitely didn't want him to feel like all she wanted from him was sex, but she couldn't stop herself from leaning up little by little, reaching for a kiss.

Draco was slightly alarmed when he realized what Hermione was attempting, but her eyes were still fixed on him, and that was all that was important. He quickly thought through what could happen as a result of a kiss between them. He could be used for sex and forgotten, they could start a doomed relationship and he could lose one of his few allies, or they could fall in love and be perfect together. He decided that if he even had the slightest chance of waking up to brown eyes and bushy hair every morning, it was a risk he was willing to take.

While Hermione was inching forward, giving him time to think, Draco decided he couldn't wait for her lips to be on his. His arms that were around her shoulders dropped to her waist, and he half picked her up and pulled her closer so he could reach her. In an instant, once his decision was made, they were wrapped in each other. Her hands slid up his back and into his hair, and he tightened his grip on her waist. Draco's hands continued to slide further down until they were at her hips, and she jumped up and wrapped her legs around him. Supporting her, they moved to the couch and Hermione fell on top of Draco.

Her hair fell in both of their faces, and they stopped long enough for Draco to brush her hair back. When they made eye contact again, they sprang apart.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Hermione began.

"It's as much my fault as yours," Draco cut her off. "If you're willing to try… we have to do this right. Let me take you out tomorrow night. Please?" He seemed genuinely afraid of her response.

"I'm busy tomorrow, owl me? I do want to try. But I also don't want to rush into anything. Ron and I just broke up a little over a month ago."

Draco nodded in understanding. He remembered when Pansy decided to flee with the rest of the cowards. He didn't even truly love her, but the breakup still hurt. If Hermione wanted to try, he would move as slow as she asked.


End file.
